Can You Use an Expired CELPIP Result for Canadian Citizenship?

Can I use an expired CELPIP result to apply for citizenship?

Yes. IRCC accepts expired CELPIP-General and CELPIP-General LS results as language proof for citizenship, and its Help Centre says there is no expiration date for third-party language test results for citizenship applicants.

You can send the same CELPIP result you used for your permanent residence application, as long as it meets the citizenship minimum in Listening and Speaking.

What score does my old CELPIP result need for citizenship?

For a CELPIP test taken on or after 1 April 2014, at least 4 in both Listening and Speaking. Reading and Writing scores do not matter for citizenship.

Tests taken before 1 April 2014 used an older CELPIP scale with levels such as 3L and 5H. For those, IRCC asks for 2H or higher in Listening and Speaking.

If you immigrated through Express Entry, your result is almost certainly well above this line: most programs needed CLB 7 or more.

• CELPIP levels and what each one means

Who needs language proof for citizenship?

Applicants aged 18 to 54. If you are 55 or older, or under 18, you do not need to send language proof.

You send one proof only. A CELPIP result is one option; others include a diploma or transcript from a secondary or post-secondary program taught in English or French, a LINC or CLIC certificate showing CLB 4 in speaking and listening, or another accepted test.

How do I get a copy of an old CELPIP score report?

Download it from your CELPIP account while you can: scores stay viewable there for two years from the test date. If your result is older and you did not keep the PDF, contact CELPIP, which is what IRCC tells applicants with lost test results to do.

• Search your email and old application files first: many people saved the PDF when they applied for permanent residence.
• CELPIP no longer posts hardcopy score reports, so the PDF is the copy to keep.
• Store a copy somewhere you will still have it in five years, for example next to your PR documents.

• Your CELPIP score report, explained

When do I need a new CELPIP test for citizenship?

Only if you have no accepted proof at all, or your old result is below 4 in Listening or Speaking. In that case CELPIP-General LS, a shorter Listening and Speaking test, is usually the one to book.

• No CELPIP, IELTS General Training, PTE Core or French test result, and no education or LINC/CLIC proof: book CELPIP-General LS.
• Old result below 4 in Listening or Speaking: book a new test, or use another accepted proof if you have one.
• Applying for permanent residence and citizenship for different family members at once: the PR applicant needs a result under two years old; the citizenship applicant does not.

If you cannot provide any proof, IRCC lets you ask for a waiver with your application. If it is not approved, you will need to send proof, and IRCC may assess your language skills at a hearing.

• CELPIP-General vs General LS: which one you need
• CELPIP for Canadian citizenship

Why does a CELPIP result expire for PR but not for citizenship?

Because the two applications use the result differently. For permanent residence, IRCC sets a two-year limit and refuses an application with expired results. For citizenship it only needs evidence that you reached CLB 4 in Listening and Speaking at some point, so it accepts expired results.

• When does a CELPIP score expire?

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

• CELPIP Levels and Descriptors: What Each Level Means
• Express Entry High-Wage Points: Who Gains and What Happens to Cut-offs
• Are AI CELPIP Scores Accurate? How They Compare With the Real Test
• What CELPIP Score Equals IELTS 7? CELPIP–IELTS Equivalence by CLB